Draft or Pass: The Hype is Real! All Aboard the A.J. Brown Express!

CHOO CHOO! Make room on the bandwagon because A.J. Brown is a popular breakout candidate in 2020.

Jaime Eisner | May 21, 2020

Draft or Pass: The Hype is Real! All Aboard the A.J. Brown Express! /

It's never too early to start your fantasy football research, and we here at SI Fantasy want to provide you with the best information possible heading into your drafts. Our "Draft or Pass" video series takes a closer look at a fantasy player that will be debated often leading up to fantasy drafts. Are our hosts targeting this player specifically? Are they avoiding him entirely?

Today's video focuses on Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Draft or Pass at current ADP: 42.5 (WR20)?

The phenomenal A.J. Brown burst onto the fantasy scene as a major player in his rookie season. He led all rookies in receiving yards (1,051), receiving touchdowns (9), was tied for third in targets (84), and was fourth in receptions (52). He finished as the WR23 in overall fantasy points and the WR30 on a points-per-game basis in PPR formats.

Although his 3/100/0 performance in his NFL debut caught the attention of many, Brown started to break out once Ryan Tannehill took over as the Titans' starter in Week 7. In 10 games to end the regular season, Brown ranked as the WR7 overall and WR11 on a per-game basis, averaging 16.4 points each week. He had four 110-plus yard games and five touchdowns over the final six weeks of the regular season.

What will he do as a follow-up?

Some believe he's on the verge of fantasy superstardom. Some are concerned about a sophomore slump because he'll be the main focus of all defensive coordinators going up against Tennessee this season. His non-existent playoff run underscores those fears in January, where he combined five catches for 64 yards and no touchdowns on ten targets in three postseason games. However, he's still the best receiver the Titans have, Tannehill will be the starter for the entire season, and Brown is immensely talented and now knows how the NFL life looks.

Brown is currently the 20th wide receiver off the board in early drafts, and that's about the right range for him. I have him ranked as a low-end WR2. I can see a 60/1,100/8 season from him in 2020 over 16 games. That would've ranked as the WR22 last season and WR20 in 2018.

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Published May 21, 2020

JAIME EISNER